Assassin’s Creed: LIberation

The Assassin’s Creed series first foray onto portable systems wasn’t pretty. The problem was that the PlayStation Portable couldn’t handle the open-world gameplay, not mention the fact that it lacked the visual fireworks that the series is known for. And that was a shame because Assassin’s Creed: Bloodlines told a pivotal story in the series. It made sense of the Altair flashback in Assassin’s Creed II.

But the franchise’s second attempt on a handheld system looks as though it’s light years better. I had a chance to check out Assassin’s Creed: Liberation, which is coming out Oct. 30 on the PlayStation Vita, at a Ubisoft pre-Gamescom event. From the initial look, the game seems to be a legit entry to the series complete with a new protagonist named Aveline de Grandpre.

She is the daughter of a French merchant who married one of his slaves. The union led to her mother’s freedom and of course hers. It’s an unusual backstory for a heroine and it comes into play in a unique aspect of the game.